Counter and stacxbb fob tbansfebs



R. E. KIMBALL.

COUNTER AND STACKEB FOR TRANSFERS, TICKETS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED ocnzz. 1915.

1,317,979. Patented Oct. 7,1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

liz 1/671 1'07:

ass 1;,

R. E. KIMBALL. COUNTER AND STACKER roa 'IBANSFERS, TICKETS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.22. ms. 1,317,979;

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. E. KIMBALL.

COUNTER AND STACKER FOR IRANSFERS, TICKETS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLlCATION FILED oc'nzz. 19:5.

1,317,979. Patented 0m. 7,1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IUCTI ZZII".

MIA. 67 w w R. E. KIMBALL. COUNTER AND STACKER run mAwsrms, TICKETS, AND THE LIKE.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

5 SHE ETS-SHEET 4- APPLICATION FILED 061322. 19'5.

88 m 14 F 96. W

n. E. KIMBALL. COUNTER AND STACKER FOR TRANSFERS, TICKETS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLQCATIUN FILED (H1122. 19'5. 1,317,979. Patented Oct. 7,1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

f 'y. 10. T 27 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. KIHBAIIL, OI CLEVELAND, OHIO.

GOUNTER AND BTAdKEB FOB TRANSFERS, TICKETS, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

Application fled October 22, 1815. Serial H0. 57,985.

72; all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RoBEnT E. KIMBALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Counters and Stacker-s for Transfers, Tickets, and the like of which the following is a full, clear, an exact description.

This invention relates to a counter and stacker for tickets, street railwaytransfers,

and the like, and has for its chief object the provision of an efiicient counter and stacker by which tickets, and particularly thin paper transfers, can be very accurately and rapidly counted and then stacked. In certam respects this invention is an improvement over the counting machines disclosed in my prior Patents No. 761,970, June 7, 1904, and No. 1,027,613, May 28, 1912.

One of the more specific objects is to provide means for preventing two or more of the devices to be counted from feeding through the machine at the same time. Further objects are to avoid liability of folded or bent transfers stopping the continuous feeding and stacking. The above and other objects are accomplished by my invention which may be briefly summarized as consist- .ing in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the s ecification and set forth in the appended c aims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a counter and stacker; Fig. 2 is a side view looking toward the left of Fig. 1, parts being broken away; Fig. 3 is a. sectional view taken about midway between the side plates and showing the several feeding rolls; Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 5- Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a portion of the machine with some, of the parts above the feed rolls removed; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view df a portion of the machine substantially along the line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a sectional view substantially along the line 7-7 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, this view showing particularly certain important parts of the mechanism Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing the same parts in side elevation, the section bein taken substantially along the line 99 0 Fig. 7 looking in the dlrection indicated by the arrows; Fig. 10 is a sectional view substantially along the line 10-10 of Fig. 1, certain parts being omitted and other parts being in elevation, this view showin some transfers stacked; Fig. 11 is an insi e elevation viewed from substantially the line 11-11 of Fig. 4, this view showing a trans fer crimped or bent transversely and about to ass to the stacker.

he machine includes a frame composed chiefly of a pair of parallel side plates 10 from and between which the major part of the operating mechanism is supported. At one end of the machine there is an inclined table or platform 11 upon which is adapted to be placed a pack of tickets, transfers or similar devices to be counted. As this machine is adapted particularly for counting transfers, the devices to be counted will hereafter, for convenience, be termed translfers.

ally move the transfers up the table or plat form 11. At the top of the table there is a pair of feed rolls 15 which engage the foremost transfer and feed the same downwardly so that they pass one at a time between the rolls 16 and the edge of the table. The width of the gap between the table and the rolls 16 can be varied by adjustin up and down a pair of strips 17. The rol l s 15 are mounted on a shaft 18 and the rolls 16 are su ported on a parallel shaft 19, both shafts hein suitably supported in the frafne of the mac ine.

The transfers are fed downwardly and forwardly between the rolls 16 and a pivoted shoe 20, which, with the coiiperation of other parts to be referred to presently, is instrumental in opping the feeding action of the rolls 15 and 16 if more than one transfer is fed at the same time bet-ween the rolls 16, and the shoe. The transfers are then fed down along a platform 21 between upper and lower rolls 22 and 23 and thence between upper and lower rolls 24 and 25 and thence onto a series of rotating stacker rolls 26, the transfers being fed one at a time to the bottom of the stack which is formed under an L-shaped stacker member 27 which is slidingly mounted on an inclined plate 27", this stacker member 27 simply acting as a weight which bears on the stac of transfers being counted and stacked and gradually rises as the stack is built up from the bottom. The rolls 23, 25 and 26 are mounted on parallel driven shafts 28, 29 and 30 respectively, while the smaller upper rolls 22 and 24, which cooperate with the rolls 23 and 25, are friction rolls and are driven sim ly by contact with the rolls 23 and 25. T ese friction rolls are yielding)? supported on a bar 31 which extends tween the side plates of the frame and which is preferably hinged at one end so that it may he swung upwardly, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. At about the center of this arm 31 there is a transverse plate or shoe 32 upon which the rolls 22 and 24 are yieldingly supported and are springressed downwardly by coil springs 33. he lower end of this shoe 32 rojects downwardly between and below t e top of the two rolls 25 and it serves to transversely bend thin paper transfers (see transfer T Fig. 11) at the center so as to substantially stiflen them and straighten the longitudinal edges in order that the transfers may feed beneath the lowermost transfer of the stack. It is often the case that street railway transfers are folded when handed to a conductor, and after they have been un'folded and are fed through a machine of this character they have a. tendency to bend either up or down, but this shoe which bends the transfers transversely at the center overcomes the tendency for the transfers to catch at the stacking end and obstruct the feed of the oncoming transfers.

All the rolls except the friction rolls 22 and 24 have their peri heries covered with vulcanized rubber so t at they will be able to frictionally engage and grip the transfers and cause them to be fedthrou h the machine without any slip ing. e friction roll 22 has a plain perip cry while the friction roll 24 is provided with teeth, as will be observed articularly by reference to Fig. 4. This toothed roll performs the very important function of lifting the rear edge of a transfer if the transfer does not feed properly onto the stacker rolls and prevents it stopping the feed of the next or subsequent transfer.

It may be observed in passin that the stacker rolls 26 are not at all 0 the same diameter, but the rolls are of gradually decreasing diameter from the endmost to the center. This is also an important feature of the construction inasmuch as the transfers then lie on a concave support which causes the ends to be elevated (see transfer T Fig. 10). In other words, it prevents the ends of the transfers already stacked hanging or bending downwardly and erlnits the transfers to be fed without ostruction underneath the lowermost transfer of the stack. Instead of a series of separate stacker rolls, as shown, a single large concave roller may be employed as is obvious.

Power ma be applied to drive the several shafts alrca y referred to and other parts to be subsequently explained in any suitable manner, but in this instance the end of the shaft 35 which is beneath the shaft su portmg the rolls 16 is provided with a pulley 36 adapted to accommodate a motor driven 'bcl-t. This shaft is provided with a gear 37 which meshes with a gear 38 which is held frictionally by a clutch 39 onto the shaft 19 carrying the feed rolls 16. This gear 38, through the instrumentality of the clutch 39, drives the shaft 19 when the transfers feed properly one at a time through the machine, but when two or more transfers pass at the same time between the rolls 16 and the pivoted shoe 20, a brake device holds the shaft 19 against rotation so that the gear 38 will slip on the shaft, as will be subsequently more fully explained.

Power is transmitted from the shaft 19 carrying the relatively large feed rolls 16 to the shaft 18 carrying the relatively small feed rolls 15 through a eountershaft and a suitable train of gbears, which will be designated as a whole y the reference character -10. Likewise, power is transmitted from the large gear 37 to the three shafts 28, 29 and 30 by {gearing which may be designated as a who e by reference character 41. (See Figs. 1 and 2).

In conjunction with the feeding and stacking mechanism I employ a counter or register 42 which is supported at the side of the machine opposite to that having the driving pulley and transmittin caring. This register is preferably a setac register containing novel construction and constitutes the subject-matter of a separate application, Serial No. 57,284, filed by me of even date herewith. On a shaft 43 extending between the register and the stacking machine proper there is a toothed drivin wheel 44 which is intermittently but positively rotated by a )air of )ins 45 which are carried by a she t 46, eac 1 half revolution of which turns the toothed wheel through an are equal to the distance between two adjacent teeth. It may be here stated that this particular driving means between the shaft 46 and the toothed wheel 44 is of considerable importance for the reason that at the start and stop of each half revolution of the shaft 46 the two pins 45 have a substantially tangential slidin action on the teeth of the wheel 44, so hat the toothed wheel 44 and the Shaft 43, which it drives are started and stopped slowl even though the intermittent drivmgimpu see which are- 'ven to the shaft 43 are extremely rapid.

his driving feature, which is fully described in my companion application above referred to, prevents bangi or hammering of the coiiperatin gears of t e re 'ster an permits the use 0 a simple form 0 carrying mechanism in the 'ster. 7

An esca ement m anism controlled and operated y the transfers as they are fed through the machine causes intermittent driving t between the shaft 46 and a continuously driven countershaft 47 (ee Fi 5) which is driven by gears from the she 35 to which the drivmg pulley 36 is attached, as previous] described. On the inner end of the shaft 7 there is a toothed gear 48 and on the inner end of the mtermittently operated shaft 46 there is a ar 49 which may be termed a flat r as it is provided at two diametrical y opposite points with fiat or, untoothed portions 49 (see particularly Figs. 4 and 6). When either flat surface 49" is opposite the teeth of the gear 48 the fiat gear 49 is stationary, but if the latter is turned a predetermined amount, so as to cause the teeth thereof to be brought into driving engagement with the teeth of the driving ar 48, the said flat car 49 will be rota through a half revo ution. This flat gear is turned sufficiently to brin its teeth into driving entransfer as it asses through the machine. This is accomp ished by a pair of fingers 50 which are diametrically opposite each other or 180 degrees apart, and which are secured to the inner end of the shaft 46 adiaeent the flat gear 49, so that after each ha f revolution of flat gear 49 one of the fingers projects up into the path of movement of the transfer as it is fed between the rolls 22 and 23. Each transfer in passing between the rolls engages and shifts one of the fingers 50, causing driving engagement between the gears 48 and 49 and this causes the gear 49 to be tul'llllfid through fillllg half revolution, brin t e o osite er in position to be efig a ged by t ie next transfer, and this action is repeated for every transfer fed through the machine.

This escapement mechanism is such that transfers can be fed extremely rapidly through the machine, the register being accurate at a rate as high as from 30 to 50 per second. For the purpose of preventing the gear 49 and the shaft 46 being turned throu h more than one-half revolution per trans er fed through the machinathere is provided a rocking-prong or yoke having a pair of upstanding fingers and 60, said yoke being mounted upon a pin 61 and substantially straddling the shaft 46 upon which lugs or rojections 62 which arm 66 projecting from the lower the gear 49 is mounted, as shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 6. The upper end of one of these two fingers 60 of t e yoke' is adapted to be enga%d at each half revolution of the shaft 46 y one of a pair of stop project at diametrical y opposite points om a short sleeve w ich 18 secured onto the shaft 46 alongside the flat gear 49. This yoke tends at all times to swing to a position such that the upper end of the forward finger 60' will be just beyond the path of movement of one of these lugs or promotions, being 'ven this tendency by the action of a pair 0 friction disks 68 such as leather Ipressed by a spring 63 against a disk 64 oosely mounted on shaft 35 (see particular] Figs. 4, 5 and 6). This disk 64 is connecte by a link 65 to an art of the oke 60. However, just before t 0 completion of the half revolution of the shaft 46 and flat gear 49, one of the In 62 engages the rear finger 60 of the yo e, rockmg it so that the forward finger 60! is movedinto the path of movement of the opposite lug 62 so as to prevent the flat roll and fingers 50 overrunnlng, whereupon, by the friction of the disk 64, the yoke is rocked ain to its normal position, rinitting the urther half rotation of the iiii t gear 49, when the escapement mechanism is operated by the next transfer, and this is repeated as long as the transfers are fed t h' gagement with t e teeth of gears 48 by each through the mac me It may be noted at this point that the inner end of the shaft 47, sup rting the gear 48, is mounted on an arm 6 which is pivotall mounted on a pin 68 and is pressed yiel ingly toward the flat gear 49 by a coil spring 69. This construction minimizes shock as the teeth of the gears 48 and 49 come into engagement. The forward movement of the arm 67 and gear 48 may be limited in any suitable manner such as by means of a pin 67.

I shall now describe the mechanism for stoppin the feed of the transfers through the mac ine when two or more transfers pass shaft or rod 77 which is normally stationmy and located below the rolls 16, as shown y in Fig. 4. This rod, the outer particular] end of whlch is located beyond one of the side plates of the machine, has secured to its outer end a comparatively long arm 78 see full line construction m Fig. 9 and otted line construction in Fig. 6). The outer end of the arm 78 engages a, relatively 126 short arm 7 9 fixed to the inner endof sleeve 80 mounted to turn on a pin 81 extending out from one of the side plates 10 of the frame. This sleeve is surrounded by a coil spring 82 which tends to hold the short arm or projection 79 in engagement with the longer arm 7 8 and to set the shoe 20 as will be subsequently explained. At the outer end of the sleeve 80 there is an upstanding arm or finger 83 (see particularly Fig. 9) atthe upper end of which there is a notch and shoulder and which is held by the spring 82 with the notched part engaging the outer end of a finger 84 which projects from a disk 85 mounted loosely on shaft 19 between the hub of gear 38 (which, as previously stated, is held frictionally to the s iaft 13 by clutch 39) and the hub of a disk 86 which is secured to shaft 19. Opposite surfaces of this disk 86 are engaged by a pair of short plates 87 which extend up into a notch of a gripping device or clutch 88 which extends across and beyond both sides of the disk 86 as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. One end of this gripping device is supported on a second arm 89 projecting outwardly from the disk 85 and the longer or inwardly projecting arm is engaged by the end of a rather weak coil spring 90.

While the finger 84: engages under the shoulder formed at the upper end of the upstanding finger 83, this gripping device is held at one end by the finger 83 and as it is engaged at the opposite end by the weak spring 90 it causes the two plates 87 to engage with slight friction the disk 86, the normal degree of friction engagement depending solely on the pressure of the sprin 90 which can be given any value desire When, however, the finger 83 is rocked so as to release the finger 84 immediately the gripping device 88 is carried forwardly with the disk until the end of the member 88 engages the end of a relatively stiff spring 91, which absorbs the momentum of the moving parts and then positively locks the disk 86 against movement and so stops the rotation of shaft 19 and of the feed rolls 15 and 16. This occurs whenever two or more transfers are fed between the rolls 16 and the shoe 28.

Initially the shoe 20 is set at exactly the desired distance from the rolls 16, this distance being equal to the thickness of the transfer to be fed through the machine. This is done by loosening the finger 83 from sleeve 80, placing a transfer between the shoe 20 and the rolls 16, and permitting the sprin 82 to press the shoe up against the trans er. The said spring accurately sets the shoe and eliminates all loose play between the connecting or engaging parts. After the spring has positioned the shoe the fin er 83 is brought up against the finger 84 an is tightened on the sleeve 80. When this is done, as long as the transfers are fed one at a time between the rolls 16 and the shoe 20 (and it may be here stated that they feed one at a time unless two transfers are stuck together) the machine operates without interruption and the finger 83 remains against the end of finger 84. Just as soon, however, pass between the 16 the shoe is moved ance equal at more transfers shoe 20 and the rolls away from the roll 16 a dist least to the thickness of a transfer. the lever arm 76 (Fig. 4) and the difference between the lengths of ger 83, this sligh very much multip finger 83 and is sufficient ger 83 until it is clear of end of the finger the disk 86 is immediately 87 through the action of th 88 and the rotation of the ing the rotation o ove explained. This stopping ate as it is, (being conof a thin paper xtremely reliable in operation fail to stop the feeding action fed at the same time or the lever 79 and fint of the shoe is lied at the outer end of the to rock the finor free from the 84. As soon as this occurs gripped by the e gripping shaft 19 is f the rolls t movemen stopped, stop 15 and 16 as a) mechanism, delic trolled by the thickness transfer) is e as it does not if two transfers are if a folded transfer is fed through the chine causing a double thickness of mate to ass between the shoe 2() and rolls 16.

ation of the operation of y way of explan it may be stated that the machine as a whole,

counting a pack of transfer ll set the set-back register 42 to zero rs on the table 11,

and will place the transfe t in operation if and when the machine is so it had not been previously started the transto feed through the machine fers will begin on the stacker rolls and will be stacked up y lifting the stacker dev being pulled inwardly at the bottom of the stack. As each transfer passes between the rolls 22' and 23 it engages one of anding fingers 50 and shifts the ificient amount to cause the teeth of to engage the teeth of the l toothed gear 48 the fiat gear 49 continuousl until the shaft 43 is turned thro When it will stop. This causes eel 4A to turn through one the starting and stopping is wheel 44 being slow, as

y revolving ful revolution, the toothed wh counting space, movement of th The transfers ar tinuously and rapidly throu each transfer When the last trans operation can set of transfers.

As previously e fers were previous xplained, even if the transly folded and are creased because of such folding, as they pass between the rolls 24 and 25 they are trans bent at the center thus stiffened, causing straighten so that lowermost transfer of the by the shoe 32 and are the front edges to they can move un pile being stacked.

And in the event the forward movement of one of the transfers is stopped or slowed down as it passes the contacting portions of the rolls 24 and 25, the teeth of the former will engage the rear edge of the transfer and lift it up in such a way that the next transfer can pass underneath it.

In the event that two transfers are stuck together and simultaneously passed between the rollers 23 and the shoe 20 the shoe20 is moved downward an amount equal to the thickness of a transfer. This rocks the shaft ing the shoe and this movement is 'multiplled through the instrumentality of the several levers causing the latching finger 83 to be moved out of engagement with the finger 84 and permitting the clutching or rip ing device 88 to stop the rotation of the sha 19 through which-the forward feed rolls 15 and 16 are operated. When this oc curs the feedin of the transfers is, of course, stopped until t e operator extracts the two transfers from between the shoe and rolls 16, whereupon the feeding, counting and stacking continues. The operator w ll extract the two or more transfers from.between the shoe and rolls 16 by turning the rolls backward and this automatically resets the fingers 83 and 84. A pin 92 prevents the fin r 84 turning backward too far.

$hile I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is obvious that numerous changes may bemade in the arrangement and details and form of the parts which are employed to carry out the principle of my invention, and I, therefore, do not desire to be confined to the particular formof the invention here shown, but aim in my claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departure from the spirit and scope of my invention. It is to be understood also that the machine is not limited in the use to the counting of street railway transfers.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a 'machine of the character described, a frame havin side walls, a support at one endof the ame adapted to receive a pack of transfers, tickets or similar devices, a stacker at the opposite end of the frame adapted to receive the devices, means,

comprising feed rolls for conveying the devices fromv said support to the stacker, shafts for operating said feed rolls Journaled in the side walls of the frame, a member extending between the side walls of the frameand provided with rolls which coact with said first-named feed rolls to erform the feeding operation, and provi ed between two of said first named feed rolls adjacent the stacker with means for transversely bending said devices just before they pass to the stacker.

2. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a support adjacent one end of the frame adapted to receive a pack of transfers,- tickets, or similar devices, a stacker adjacent the opposite end of the frame and comprising a rotatin member on which the devices are gradualfy stacked when the machine is in o eration by being fed one at a time to the b0 feeding means between said support and the stacker and serving to deliver said devices in a plane adjacent to the upper surface of said rotating member of the stacker.

8. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a su port adjacent one end of the frame adap to receive a pack of transfers, tickets, or. similar devices, a stacker adjacent the opposite end of the frame and comprising a rotating member on which the devices are gradually stacked when the machine is in operation by being fed one at a time to the bottom of the stack, feeding means between said support and the stacker and serving to deliver said devices in a plane adjacent to the upper surface of said rotating member of the stacker, and means adjacent to and in advance of the stacker for bending said devices so as to stiffen them and form their front edges so that they will pass without hindrance to the bottom of the stack on the stacker.

4. In a machine of the character described, a support for a plurality of transfers, tickets or similar devices, a stacker adapted to receive and 'hold the devices, feeding means for feeding the devices from the support to the bottom of the stack on the stacker, said stacker being concave or lower at the center than at the ends.

5. In a machine of the character described, a support for transfers or other devices', a stacker adapted to receive and hold the devices, and feeding means for feeding the devices from the support to the stacker, said stacker being an annular rotating means of decreasing diameter from the ends inward.

6. In a machine of the character described, a support adapted to receive a pack of transfers, tickets or other devices, a stacker ada ted to receive the devices, feeding means or feeding the devices from. said support to the stacker and comprising a plura ity of rol1s,'includin an u per and a lower roll between whic the evices pass, said upper roll having teeth adapted to lift the rear edges of the devices.

7. In a machine of the character described, a support adapted to receive a pack of transfers, tickets or other devices, a stacker, feeding means, means for feeding the devices from the sup rt to the stacker, includi a plurality o driven rolls and a roll w 'ch is adapted to frictionally engage one of the driven rolls, said frictionally driven roll having teeth on its periphery,

8. In a machine of the character described, a support for a plurality of transfcrs, tickets or similar devices adapted to be counted, a. receiving member for said devices, feediug means for feeding said devices from the support to the receiving means, and means for stopping the feed of said devices if two or more 0 the latter pass a given point at the same time, said stopping means comprising a device for locking the feeding means against movement.

9. In a machine of the character described, a support adapted to receive a plurality of transfers, tickets or similar devices, means for feeding said devices along a iven path, said means including a plurality of rolls, a movable member arranged adjacent one of said rolls so as to permit said devices to pass one at a time between said member and the associated roll, and means operated by the movement of said member away from the roll when two or more of the devices pass between the roll and said member at the same time for stopping the feed of said devices, said feed stopping means comprising a member for positively stopping the feed rolls.

10. In a machine of the character described. a support for a pluralit of transfers, tickets or similar devices to e counted, means for feeding said devices along a given path, a movable member arranged ad]acent one part of the feeding means and adapted to be moved when two or more of the devices are fed past said members at the same time, and means operated by the movement of said member for stopping the feeding operation, said iast mentioned means comprising a device for locking the feeding means against movement.

11. In a machine of the character described, a support for a plurality of transfers, tickets or the like, means for feeding said devices along a given ath, and including a roll and a shaft for riving the same, means normally operating said shaft when the devices are fed one at a time, and means for stopping the operation of said shaft when two or more of the devices are fed past a given point at the same time said stopping means comprisin a movable device for locking said sha t against movement.

12. In a machine of the character described, a support for a plurality of dev ces to be counted, a feeding means for feeding the devices through a given path, means for operating said feeding means including a shaft, and means for holding said shaft against movement when two or more of the devices pass a given point along the feeding means at the same time.

13. In a machine of the character described, a support for a pluralit of transfers, tickets or similar devices to e counted, feeding means for feeding said devices along a given path including a plurality of rolls, and a drivin shaft for at least one of the rolls, a move le member arranged adjacent one of said rolls so that the devices as they are fed pass between said member and the associated roll, and means controlled by the movement of said member when two or more of the devices pass between said member and the associated roll at the same time for locking the shaft against movement. a

14. In a machine of the character described, a support for a pluralit of transfers, tickets or similar devices to counted, feeding means for feeding said devices along a given path, said means including a plurality of rolls, a driving shaft for at least one of the rolls, a movable member arranged adjacent one of said rolls so that the devices as they are fed pass between said member and the associated roll, and means controlled by the movement of said member when two or more of the devices pass between said member and the associated roll at the same time for locking [the shaft against movement, and means whereby the normal distance between said member and the associated roll may be set or adjusted.

15. In a machine of the character described, a support adapted to receive a plurality of transfers, tickets or similar devices to be counted, feeding mechanism for feeding the same along a given path and including a roll, a shaft on which the roll is mounted, and means for driving the same, and means for stopping the feeding operation if two or more 0 the devices pass a iven point at the same time, said means including a movable member adf'acent said roll, a locking device for positive y stopping and holding said shaft against movement, and movement multiplying mechanism between said member and said device.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

ROBERT E. KIMBALL. 

